‘Intricate detail’ is a descriptor applied at times somewhat indiscriminately to illustration. After all, the mere presence of a lot of small marks doth not necessarily intricate detail make. For an example of artwork possessed of true intricacy – the type of detail that is comprised of many elements each enjoying their own intrinsic allure – we may consult the portfolio of Felideus.

There’s a lot going on in Felideus’s work. Not only are his steampunk-inflected images alive with immaculate toy-like creatures and characters in playset environments, but each of these are rendered in remarkable texture of such singularly tactile appearance that they invite you to reach out and touch them. Or poke them. Or possibly bite them – there’s a pleasing squeaky dog chew vibe about a lot of this stuff.

With its storybook aesthetic and crew of anthropomorphic denizens, Felideus’s work recalls the paintings of Femke Hiemstra, whose characters also appear to be tiny figurines. In fact, either artist’s beasties would make exemplary vinyl toys, and in Felideus’s case this is demonstrated nicely by the artwork he’s created for Buskers Beer. Transliterated by his talented model-maker wife, Jezabel Nekranea,and spritzed up with his own digital zing, his creations segue effortlessly from drawn into sculpted form.

Elsewhere in his portfolio, you’ll find some less densely-detailed but nonetheless elegant illustrations whose girls and goblins combo is like a collision of the brushes of Charles Vess and Alphonse Mucha, whilst also featuring an uncommonly tasteful application of halftones.

Feast your eyes on Felideus’s work over at his official website. You’ll find that he’s touting a deservedly impressive list of accolades, and links to a bunch of mates with similarly sweet work to check out.

Thomas James is an Illustrator who has worked with The New York Times, WIRED, Pentagram, Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, and many others. You can see his portfolio at thomasjamesillustration.com.